Handle
by SunnyDe
Summary: He knew something was wrong. If you asked him directly, he couldn't place it or even quite describe it. Something was just… off.


**Handle**

He knew something was wrong. If you asked him directly, he couldn't place it or even quite describe it. Something was just… off.

It may have started after 3 months ago. They got married about 10 months ago and marriage was a ginormous step for Law. Hell, moving into together was a huge deal for Law, something he had never done before with any other lover. He had a couple of boyfriends in the past who would've been fine roommates or lifetime partners but Law was never quite that invested. He hated the idea of giving up his personal space for " _love"_ and other such nonsense. The idea of having a live-in sex buddy was appealing but not enough to actually make that move.

However, he made an exception for Luffy. Law quickly learned that he always made exceptions for Luffy. It wasn't his nature to give in to temptation but with Luffy, it was just so ….so _easy._

When Law first met Luffy, 27 months ago, at their mutual friend's birthday party, he was certain that they would not get along. Luffy was loud and assertive while Law was (and still is) brooding and contemplative. He was annoyed by Luffy's desire to be instant friends and his lack of respect for personal space. Sure, Law found him attractive in a goofy way, but it was hard to pay attention to that when he was so _annoyed_ by the other man's presence. Luffy was constantly chattering about this and that like they had known each other for years and not just minutes. He figured the guy must have been drunk but didn't smell alcohol on him at all. He'd never known someone to be so animated without being wasted first. Before long, Law snapped and they began fussing at each other like they were an old married couple.

"Why do you talk to me like you know me or something? I just met you tonight." Law asked suspiciously.

"What are you talking about? We've met before! I was at Sanji's party last month and we hung out at the punch bowl."

"….We…we did not. I have never seen you before in my life. ", Law replied, wondering how anyone could be this stupid. Law doesn't consider himself to be vain, but not a lot of guys walk around with tattoos all over their body and eyeliner in their small town. It's hard to believe that Luffy could get him mixed up with someone else.

"No, we did talk, for hours about spaceships! You don't remember?" Luffy says indignantly.

Law huffs, "I don't remember because that never happened! I would never have a conversation with YOU at a punch bowl about spaceships. You must be delusional."

"I'M delusional?" Luffy says incredulously.

"You must be thinking about someone else. I don't know you." As Law begins to walk off, Luffy grabs his arm.

"If you don't let go of my arm, I swear.." Law knows he is about to snap. He HATES being touched.

"Wait, do you have a dog named Speedo?"

"No, and do I look like someone who would have a dog named Speedo of all things?", now Law is really pissed.

"Oooohhhh…. Then you must not be who I thought. My bad." Luffy apologizes and smiles sheepishly. That was unexpected. WOW. Law would be amazed at the balls of this kid if he wasn't so annoyed.

"Now you get it…. What fucking idiot." Law grabs his drink and proceeds to stomp off when Luffy says:

"Wait, let me buy you a coffee sometime….. to make it up to you."- he smiles reassuringly at Law.

It wasn't like Law to give anybody, especially a dufus like Luffy a second chance, even as friends. However, Law would never admit it but this strange weirdo that he just met, had the most beautiful smile; it was borderline infectious and left him curious. With a scowl, Law agreed and huffs off.

From there, the rest was history. They had coffee the next day as promised and it was… pleasant. When Luffy wasn't being obnoxious, he was kind of charming, in a boyish way. He asked more questions about Law's medical practice and legitimately seemed interested in his life. Before long, they had coffee dates every Sunday morning for many weeks before Luffy finally made a move.

Law doesn't remember his exact words but he remembers how for the first time, Luffy was actually shy and…dare he say…cute that day. They were having their usually coffee date when Luffy slyly reaches for his hand across the table.

" _Hey, Law, would you like to go out to dinner sometime?"_ or that's what Law thinks he said. He doesn't fully remember the exact exchange but he does remember feeling flattered and intrigued. They dated for 10 months before Luffy started slowly leaving things at Law's place and before he knew it, they were living together. Law knew then that he had fallen for Luffy hard and that that he was putting his heart on the line. He tried to act normal but he knew that his feelings for Luffy were different and special. He hadn't felt like this before and it made him paranoid.

A few months later, Law asked Luffy to marry him. He recalls being very sweaty and was so nervous that he thought he would die from heart palpitations. It was a casual proposal. No flowers or expensive restaurants. It was after their nightly dinner one evening and Law was grateful he could even get the words out properly.

" _Will you marry me?"_

Luffy screamed yes and they were happy ever since. Things were going great, until recently. It was hard to tell the exact moment when Luffy started acting strange and it was slowly driving Law crazy.

It was the small things. He laughed a little less boisterously in public. He ironed his clothes on more occasions. He even started wearing deodorant on a regular basis! He never used to do those things before. However, it was all so inconsistent though. Sometimes, he did it on Tuesdays and Thursdays and other times Fridays and Sundays. And those were days, sometimes there were weeks where he didn't do it all. Law didn't understand this, not at all. Nothing seemed special about those days nor could he predict that change in his behavior. And it wasn't just his routine, it was also his attitude that Law couldn't predict. Lately, Luffy had become more moody and secretive. It was all so baffling to Law.

He would have suspected that Luffy was having an affair but they seemed a little _too_ out of character for him. Right?

Although….Luffy had been spending more time with Sanji lately. Thinking about Luffy's friends made Law a little anxious. He liked most of them, despite their various personalities but never quite trusted the cook or the green- haired man that both claimed to be Luffy's best friend. He liked them fine but he couldn't help being a little jealous of their relationship with his husband. The 3 of them seemed to have a bond and an understanding of each other that was beyond a simple friendship. When he first met Zoro and Sanji, they were very protective of Luffy and that over-protectiveness hasn't waned much even after their marriage.

Frowning, Law sat up (fairly) patiently on their living room couch hoping for Luffy to come home soon so they could talk about this. What _this_ is. He was getting tired of the over-thinking and stress over this situation.

His phone buzzed. " _I'll be a little late tonight. At Sanji's."_ texted Luffy.

Law sighed. He hated confrontation. Despite his appearance, (tattoos for days, a scowl, and consistently baggy clothes) Law hated fighting with Luffy. It rarely happened, but when it did, it was catastrophic. There was yelling, screaming, and worst of all, crying. See Luffy cry was the worst. The last time he cried during a fight, it led to a temporary 3 week break-up. And although Law would never admit it, those were the worst 3 weeks of his life. He can barely recall what the actual fight was about but he does remember the anguish, stress, and depression he felt. He never knew Luffy could hold a grudge for so long and since then has been careful not to make accusations unnecessarily.

Law couldn't remember how he became this person. He used to be so independent, so unneeding of other people. Before he met Luffy, he was his own man. He went where he wanted, he ate what he wanted, and he banged who he wanted. Now, he feels like a domestic housewife/domesticated house cat waiting for his master to come.

" _God, that's disgusting!"_ thought Law, _"I need to get out of my own head."_

After Law and Luffy married, things between them slowly became more of a routine. They ate breakfast together, went to work, had dinner, watched tv and would occasionally have sex in their bed if the mood struck. It was lovely. Before long, Law and Luffy celebrated their 1 year anniversary in the countryside. It was a simple life and Law loved it and he was afraid of losing it.

Law stood up and walked to the closet and grabbed his favorite black leather jacket. He wasn't going to stay inside and continue feeling sorry for himself. He got in his car and just rode around town. He had no real destination and no real thoughts his head either. He just drove and drove and drove until he was outside Sanji's apartment. He didn't mean to come here but his sub-conscious must of lead him here.

He looked up at the open window and saw what looked like Sanji's silhouette and a strange blur right next to him. He blinked again and noticed that was his strange blur dancing in the background. "What the hell?"

He watched at what looked like Sanji dancing closer and closer to who he assumed to be Luffy as they danced provocatively. He recognized his husband's skinny frame and how his hips were so close, _too close_ to a certain blonde haired cook. He was absolutely certain that they are grinding on each other.

Law had had enough. He stalked up to Sanji's apartment and banged on the door. He remembered the room number because Sanji had thrown numerous parties at his place, sometimes for casual fun and other times host a fancy dinner party.

Law was usually a person with some tact but that all went out the window as he knocked viscously on the door. He didn't care if he woke up the neighbors or the whole damn street. He was finding out what the heck was going on.

He heard the music stop and Sanji's footsteps approach the door. Law felt his own pulse speed up when heard the lock turn and before he could think, Law panicked and jumped around the corner so Sanji wouldn't see him. Blood was gushing through his ears and he could barely register that Sanji was calling out, wondering who the hell knocked on his door. Soon, he heard the door click again and Law slumped against the wall.

What felt like hours but was only 2 minutes, Law was able to slow his breathing. He didn't want to admit it to himself but he wasn't ready to deal with whatever was going on in that apartment. He wasn't ready to deal with any more heartbreak, anguish or jealousy. He hadn't felt it in so long that it was making him sick just thinking about it. He'd been cheated on before and it the feeling was _terrible._ He doesn't…no can't go back to that dark place.

So he keeps it inside.

He walks back to his car, silently gets in and drives home. He didn't turn the music or radio on, he just drives silently, not trying to think of anything at all. When he gets home, he unlocks the door as calmly as he could, takes his shoes off and walks slowly to the kitchen. He sits and waits, contemplating his next move. If Luffy, his husband of 10 months, is cheating on him, could he deal with the fallout? They had a life together, a simple one, but a legit and legal binding life together. Law fell for Luffy _hard_ and vowed to spend the rest of his life with him until death does them part but that was before cheating came into the equation.

It just didn't make any sense. Luffy with Sanji? Luffy didn't seem like the cheating type at all, hell neither did Sanji! Most of Luffy's friends thought Luffy was asexual for years and as for Sanji, he was such a hopeless romantic that it seemed contradictory for him to cheat, especially with someone like Luffy. They constantly argued, usually, something food related and the connection never seemed to be there.

Law shook his head in confusion and focused on his breathing. He was stressing himself out potentially over nothing. When he and Luffy started dating, Law easily became envious of Luffy's relationships with his other friends. Particularly, Zoro. He didn't understand how Zoro instantly understood Luffy so well. Sure, they hung out all the time as best friends do, but Zoro and Luffy seemed to have strong, secret bond that everyone else respected. Luffy was close to Sanji but seemed even closer to Zoro. If Luffy was going to cheat, Law was certain it would've been with Zoro.

His thoughts were broken when hears the door slams shut.

"Honey, I'm home!" called Luffy with a slam to the back door. "Where are you?" he continued to yell.

Law lifted his head up as he heard Luffy approach the kitchen. He needed to pull himself together, he needed to be in control.

"I'm in here," Law replied, attempting to sound as normal as possible.

Luffy hugged him as tightly as usual, gave him a quick on the cheek as he walked to the fridge. "How was your day?' he asked with a chicken leg in his mouth.

Law stared blankly at him. "It was fine…" He fidgeted with his jacket. "How was your day? I tried texting you earlier but I got no response."

"Oh yeah, I was so busy. I'm sorry, babe," he says nonchalantly.

Law isn't sure how he feels. Luffy's not lying directly to his face, but he does feel like he's intentionally omitting something…or someone.

"What were you busy doing?' Law asks casually. He doesn't want to appear suspicious despite every nerve in his body telling him to pry more. He's just waiting to catch Luffy in a lie.

"I told you, I was with Sanji. Did you forget?", now Luffy is looking at him and Law feels his own face flush.

"Yeah, but you never say what you are doing with him. It seems odd." Law replies and he knows his patience is running thin. This should be a simple question and answer yet Luffy wants to give him the run-a-round. He wonders how they got to this point.

He hears the refrigerator shut as Luffy approaches him with a confused look on his face. "Sanji has been helping me with my cooking. Remember, I told you a couple of weeks ago how I want to be a better cook."

Law clutches his first instantly to his side as he says the next sentence, "No, you did not. I SAW you two earlier. That was not cooking, that was bumping and grinding," Law hisses and he feels the rest of his patience snap.

"You were spying on me?" Luffy inquires and Law doesn't have to look at him to hear the hurt in his voice but he doesn't care. He's tired of pretending.

"You know what, I wasn't. I came by Sanji's house to find out what the hell my husband was doing at another man's house at 10 pm at night since he doesn't have the decency to tell me himself. I know what I saw and it wasn't innocent nor was it fucking cooking!" At this point Law is furious and he feels the dam that he has been holding in burst with rage.

Luffy puts the chicken he is eating down, sighs and looks down at the table. He curls his fingers around the edge of the counter, lifts his head up at Law.

"Babe, nothing is going on between me and Sanji. We are good friends at most. You should know that I'd never cheat on you." Luffy says earnestly.

Law feels the blood rushing through his ears again and his heartbeat slow down to a more normal rate. They stare at each other for what feels like an eternity before Law looks away. He puts his head in his hands and sighs deeply. He feels the tears stinging his eyes and he doesn't want to cry. He doesn't know what to think. He feels Luffy's arms around his shoulder which just makes him want to cry more. Is he crazy to want to believe him? To believe that the exchange was innocent or maybe his eyes were deceiving him? Maybe, he's been sabotaging his own happiness. His friends said he used to do that and he's now starting to see that maybe they were right.

The tears fall silently and Law is so embarrassed that he doesn't know what to do. He feels Luffy tighten his hold around him and rub his back in circles. He whispers reassuring words in Law's ear but he isn't quite listening. He's too busy absorbing Luffy's familiar scent. He's not sure how much time has passed, but eventually, Law sits up to hug his husband properly.

Law smiles sadly at Luffy. He caresses Luffy's face gently like he has done so many times before until he sees a red splotchy mark on his neck. He inspects closer and it looks like a mosquito bite…or a hickey. Law pulls away, sees the confused look on Luffy's face and….

…pulls him close to him again.

He can't tell if whether it's that one thing or…the other. He could ask and maybe he should ask but he doesn't. He doesn't ask because if his suspicions are correct, he knows that he can't handle it.

The End.


End file.
